I teach decision analysis to graduate students, and research the applications of decision analysis to decisions with environmental consequences.

Why Engineering?

As an undergraduate I had very diverse academic interests, and studied languages, political science, etc. But by the time I was required to choose a major, environmental engineering had the right balance of interest and practical importance. I wanted to do good in the world.

School Days

I went to MIT for undergraduate and Georgia Tech for graduate school.

My Day At Work

In academia, much of the work is teaching, writing, and research, which in my field includes modeling, math, and programming.

Best Part

My field - industrial engineering and operations research - is at least one step further removed from making and building things than traditional engineering disciplines. The advantage is that our tools can be applied to almost any kind of problem - how to provide relief supplies after a humanitarian disaster; whether to get tested for a disease; or when and how to prepare for a hurricane.

Proud Moments

That's a hard question. Just today I read a report by someone I work with that clearly reflected concepts that he learned from me. Seeing the way people - and not just students - are influenced to think about things a little bit differently is very rewarding.

Challenges

Like most engineers, I worked hard in school, and I've worked hard since school. There have been some special challenges associated with being a woman - more discouragement and less encouragement than the men received, at every level. I think this is changing for women who are students today. However, it's just slightly harder to fit in with the colleagues, especially those who are a little older.

My Family

I'm married with 2 daughters, ages 3 years and -1.5 months, and two pet rabbits. My husband is a musician, but he did earn a M.S. with thesis, so he understands quite well how academia works, which is very nice.

Dreams and Goals

Still formulating my goals for the week, so I can't speak to longer term goals.

Inspiration

This is another hard question. I sometimes feel I've stumbled into many of my choices - but I don't recommend that approach! In terms of mentors or role models, as much as I like and respect some of my professors and colleagues, there has never been anyone whose career I tried to emulate.

Want to be an Engineer?

I recommend that anyone considering studying engineering or beginning a career in engineering should go for it. It's easier to switch from engineering to a less technical discipline than vice versa, and the comfort with quantitative analysis that comes with an engineering education is valuable in all kinds of endeavors, including business, science, education, and daily life. If you're in school or looking at schools, choose the teacher, not the subject. A good teacher/advisor will inspire you to be interested in the subject and get a lot out of it, and a bad teacher/advisor will do the opposite.

Additional Thoughts

I recommend that anyone considering studying engineering or beginning a career in engineering should go for it. It's easier to switch from engineering to a less technical discipline than vice versa, and the comfort with quantitative analysis that comes with an engineering education is valuable in all kinds of endeavors, including business, science, education, and daily life.

Hobbies

Currently, work and family take up pretty much all my time. I used to read a lot of fiction and travel internationally a fair amount, and I plan to do that again someday!

Biography

Eva Regnier is Associate Professor of Decision Science. Her research interest is decisions under uncertainty, with broad applications, primarily in energy and the natural environment. Examples include estimating the logistics burdens of providing supplies in remote locations with missing infrastructure, estimating the informational value of energy demonstration projects, predicting the more likely locations of pirate activity, and analyzing the tradeoff between lead-time and forecast accuracy in hurricane evacuation decisions. She teaches topics including model-building, statistics, and behavioral decision analysis to managers in the U.S. Department of Defense and equivalent organizations in other countries. It's a lot of fun!

Hi, I am the 3rd year of student at Industrial Engineering in Istanbul and I want to be a Professor at a university like you. I want to learn that which countries do you advice for postgraduate and which field should I study in order to be a innovator Professor?

Yes, I have traveled a lot with my current job - I've been to Argentina, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Colombia, Estonia, Germany, Guinea, Kenya, Portugal, Scotland, Slovakia, South Africa, Thailand, ....
Most of that travel was to teach, which is an unusual ...Read More

Hi:
I'm currently a double major at University at Buffalo in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (with a minor in Physics). I'm a woman (usually one of the very few in my class) and I have a learning disorder which, most of the time, makes studying and test taking very difficult without the use of special equipment. I get GREAT support from faculty, staff, and our wonderful disability department but, I often wonder if there are any working engineers (past or present) who have learning ...

I don’t have direct experience with any of those learning disorders, and I’m not aware of any of my engineering colleagues having them, but I do have a friend with dyslexia who is a biologist. I asked her, since scientists and engineers face many of the ...Read More